Data communication services are an endemic part of modern society. Many varied functions and services require, for their practical effectuation, that data be communicated quickly and accurately. Such functions and services sometimes require that the data be communicated over significant distances between spaced-apart communication stations.
Most simply, a communication system includes a first communication station, forming a sending station, that sends data upon a communication channel to a second communication station, forming a receiving station. Many different types of communication services are regularly effectuated between many sets of communication stations, pursuant to point-to-point or point-to-multipoint communication services. Many varied types of communication systems have been developed and implemented. And, with advancements in technologies, additional communication systems, providing expanded communication services and capabilities, are under development. A radio communication system is an exemplary type of communication system. In a radio communication system, the communication channel that is formed between sending and receiving stations comprises a radio communication channel, defined upon a radio link formed between the communication stations. A wireline connection, otherwise required to interconnect the communication stations, is obviated as the communication channel is defined upon the radio link rather than a wireline.
Concomitant with the advancements in technologies is a merging of technologies. That is to say, previously disparate technology areas are merging together. Advancements in one technology, increasingly, also provide benefit to other technology areas.
For instance, data processing is also an endemic part of modern society. Advancements in computer, and data-processing related technologies, have also been implemented, and data processing systems are available that permit large amounts of data to be stored and processed.
Communication systems are regularly used by which to transport data that is to be stored, or processed. Technologies used for data processing are, increasingly, used during operation of communication systems. And, technologies utilized in communication systems are increasingly used in data processing systems. Communication devices, and systems permitting the use of such devices, are available by which to perform various data processing operations and communication services. Additional applications and services shall likely become available in the future.
Portable data storage and processing devices, sometimes referred to as personal digital assistants (PDAs), are exemplary of data processing devices that are widely utilized. Databases are stored at such devices, and the data stored thereat is selectably retrievable by a user of the device. The data forms a series of data records, each data record containing one or more fields. During operation of the device, the data is retrieved and displayed, or otherwise made available to the user, in a desired manner. Sorting, and other, processing operations are also selectably performed upon the data contained at one or more databases of the device. The data is further selectably changeable by a user of the device.
Manners are provided by which to back-up the data stored at the portable device. By backing-up the device, the data can be recovered in the event of loss of the data at the portable device. Various personal digital assistants, and other data storage and processing devices, provide manners by which to back-up the data upon personal computers or other computing stations, by way of a fixed connection formed therebetween. Once the data is stored at the personal computer, or other computing station, the stored data of the database stored thereat is also updateable, i.e., changeable, thereat.
When the data is stored at the separate locations, i.e., at the portable device and at the computer back-up device, change of any portion of the data stored in the database stored at either of such devices causes the respective databases no longer fully to be copies of one another. Subsequent synchronization of the databases is required to place the databases in conformity with one another. Synchronization operations are performed, for instance, during subsequent back-up operations in which the contents of the respective databases are compared to one another. And, responsive to the comparisons, portions of the data found to be out-of-match are altered to place the databases in match with one another.
Other portable devices provide for back-up of the stored data to a computing station by way of a radio air interface. Back-up and synchronization operations performed by way of a radio air interface are, however, more problematical due to the bandwidth limitations generally associated with radio communication systems. Conventional manners by which to back-up, and synchronize, data stored at the respective databases are, as a general rule, prohibitively bandwidth consumptive.
If a manner could be provided by which better to provide for the back-up and synchronization of the data of dynamically-alterable databases, use of a radio communication system through which to back-up and maintain the databases in-match with one another would be facilitated.
It is in light of this background information related to synchronization of data contents of databases that the significant improvements of the present invention have evolved.